Christopher Walker reviews Le Gateau Chocolat’s Musical Mayhems
Cabaret with a twist is something that Soho Theatre does well. And Le Gateau Chocolat certainly fits the bill.
He towers above the stage, not least by wearing 10-inch heels and a series of outsized wigs.
His show is an amalgam of torch songs and quick costume changes, though sadly the performance I caught had to be slowed down by an attack of tachycardia that afternoon. “Don’t do drugs kids…. unless prescribed” he quipped.
What Gateau has is an ability to deliver a song as if it were a painful court witness statement, testifying to the tragedy of love.
He is best at being what French cabaret calls a diseuse. A performer who almost speaks a song, but a song which tells a story.
His voice has its moments, but his self-description as “a technically gifted and celebrated baritone” is somewhat stretching it. Though his act has proved enough for him to be invited to perform at the Royal Albert Hall, Sydney Opera House, and even the Bayreuth Festival.
Quite what Le Gateau Chocolat did in Wagner’s Tannhauser, is somewhat in dispute. I am told he was mute on stage but performed Old Man River in the interval.
However, his appearance certainly caused controversy – with loud boos from strict Wagnerians clutching their pearls.
Because this is very much drag as politics. Gateau is part of the politically-motivated performances which now dominate the stage and are preferred by the Arts Council.
His political pedigree is long. His children’s show Duckie premiered at the Southbank Centre in 2016 and won plaudits at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. That show aimed to “introduce young people to the ideas of otherness, tolerance and self-acceptance.”
While his recent production ICONS was accompanied by the Little Coco Orchestra, a “Le Gateau Chocolat initiative to support diverse musicians through the creation of an ensemble formed entirely of women of colour.”
All that politics lurks beneath the surface of a well-executed show with a good heart. The production values are high, not least all the costumes. That Arts Council money buys quality.
For tickets go to https://sohotheatre.com/events/le-gateau-chocolat-musicals-mayhem/
Pictured top Le Gateau Chocolat Picture Harry Ellitson